ActiveX API vs Engine API

[Simon_Ouyang]

Hello,

I want to develop an Operator Interface with C#, but I do not know whether I should use the TestStand ActiveX API or TestStand Engine API. From my view, the TestStand ActiveX API is more sampler than the Engine API, but the Engine API is more flexible and powerful.

Actually, we do not know what it is the different between the ActiveX API and Engine API, could you please to tell me in which case I should use the ActiveX API and in which case I should use Engine API?

What is the advantage and disadvantage of ActiveX API and Engine API separately?

Thanks in advance!

Regards

Simon

[dug9000]

I'm not sure what you are looking at, but I think you are misunderstanding the terminology a bit. All of TestStand's APIs use ActiveX/COM, the Engine API is just one of many interfaces that make up TestStand's API.

-Doug

[Simon_Ouyang]

Hi Doug,

At first, thanks for your feedback!

My question is that I want to know the difference between the UI Controls API (Smart Pointer) and the ActivieX API (Pure API)?

The UI Controls API means the API defined in TestStand help document "TestStandUIControlsReferencePoster.pdf", and ActivieX API means the API defined in document "TestStandAPIReferencePoster.pdf".

And I do not know when I should use the UI Controls API and when I should use the ActiveX API?

It seems that the ActiveX API has more powerful  to control/access TestStand than the UI Controls API, is that right?

Thanks!

Regards

Simon

[dug9000 · Accepted solution]

The UI Controls are ActiveX controls designed to help you create a richer UI more quickly and easily. These controls themselves call into the Engine APIs in order to interact with TestStand. The Engine APIs are lower-level APIs. The UI APIs are APIs for the UI controls themselves and are generally higher-level APIs. Non-UI code, such as code modules and step type code modules, should generally be using the Engine API. UI Code should be using the UI Controls for the most part.

Hope this helps clarify things,

-Doug

[Simon_Ouyang]

It became clearer now.

Thanks for your comments, Doug!

Regards

Simon